Tahoe publicity campaign outperforms expectations

Most investors would kill for a 25-toone return on their investment.

That's how well North Lake Tahoe Resort Association's latest publicity campaign performed, according to the trade group.

A rate of five to 10 times the cost of the program is considered a successful campaign inside the industry, according to the association.

The 2002-2003 fiscal year campaign generated more than $2.2 million in advertising equivalency, according to Pettit Gilwee Public Relations, the association's PR firm based in Tahoe City, Calif.

That figure was arrived at by equating a magazine or newspaper article about the area with the cost of running an advertisement in the same publication.

The campaign focused on promoting recreational activities during the socalled shoulder seasons of fall and spring, as well as attractions such as spas and restaurants, and NLTRA travel packages.

It also highlighted special events including Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, Lake Tahoe Big Blue Adventure Race, and Learn to Ski Weekend.

As a result, the area was featured in Sunset magazine, The New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles Times and several other major market newspapers and magazines, as well as on the Travel Channel and

Fine Living Network.

The NLTRA creates and mails summer and winter press kits to more than 400 media, and hosts visits for qualified journalists.

The NLTRA also took part in lake-wide programs including Operation Sierra Storm, a conference for meteorologists, and a golf familiarization trip for golf and sports writers from across the U.S.

"North Lake Tahoe can be an easy sell in some situations, but it's an ongoing effort to build and maintain relationships and keep travel and story ideas fresh," said Andy Chapman, tourism director of the resort association, in a prepared statement.

The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, established in 1996, is the umbrella organization for the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and the Tahoe North Visitors and Convention Bureau.